Investigation of Systolic Blood Pressure, Diastolic Blood Pressure, and Pulse Pressure in Living Kidney Donors After Donor Nephrectomy.

Kidney transplants from living donors have increased, but few studies have examined the long-term risks of live donor nephrectomy. This is the first study to report the blood pressure (BP) changes associated with cardiovascular disease and linked to chronic kidney disease (CKD) 1 year after live donor nephrectomy. This study examined a prospective cohort of patients who underwent donor nephrectomy between March 1, 2006, and December 31, 2016, at the Severance Hospital, Seoul, South Korea. CKD was defined as a glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of < 60 mL/min/1.73m2. Patients with a history of hypertension or CKD or an estimated GFR < 60 mL/min/1.73m2 were excluded; those examined after 1 year post-nephrectomy were included in the study population. Among 420 patients who underwent donor nephrectomy, 137 (32.6%) developed a first-time onset of a GFR < 60 mL/min/1.73m2 by the first year after surgery. After propensity score–matching the age, systolic BP (P <.001) and pulse pressure (P =.006) were significantly associated with the groups with newly developed CKD. Systolic BP and pulse pressure decreased significantly at 1 year after donor nephrectomy. These differences decreased after donor nephrectomy, possibly lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease. • This study investigated the blood pressure changes—specifically systolic (SBP), diastolic (DBP), and pulse pressure (PP)—in living donors at 1 year postsurgery to identify the risk of developing cardiovascular or chronic kidney disease (CKD). • SBP and PP, which are associated with the risk of developing CKD, decreased 1 year post-surgery. • The improvement of SBP and PP stemmed from a program at our institution that maintained close contact with the living donors and taught them how to maintain a healthy lifestyle using nonpharmacologic methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]